A notable figure of modern Stoicism visited SRU on Friday for two different sessions to discuss his work with students as well as present on how stoicism can be applied to daily life.

Stoicism is a school of philosophy with origins in Ancient Greece, focusing on unbiased and logical thinking rooted in determinism and the belief that one should live by the laws of nature. Massimo Pigliucci, a professor at the City College of New York, met with students from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Friday to have an author-meets-critics session, where the groups discussed his book ‘Answers for Aristotle: How Science and Philosophy Can Lead Us to a More Meaningful Life.’ He also met with students at 7:30 p.m. to give a presentation on the basics of stoicism and how it is suitable for daily life.

Pigliucci’s discussion on Friday night (which drew over 100 students and faculty) was titled “So You Want to be a Stoic, Eh?” Pigliucci covered the origins of Stoicism and aimed to answer the question what is the meaning of life, how to deal with emotions, understanding one’s place in the cosmos and other questions.

Part of Pigliucci’s discussion also dealt with how to practice stoicism, and he said that he meditates every day, which allows him to put his life in perspective and help control the “here and now.” After the discussion, Pigliucci answered answers from the audience, with someone asking if it’s possible to still follow a stoic lifestyle when following other religions. Pigliucci said that it was possible, as one can adapt stoicism ideas to other beliefs.

On Friday, November 18th, Professor Massimo Pigliucci from City University of New York will be giving two talks. The first will be an author-meets-critics session (1-2:30pm in SWC 116) for his book Answers for Aristotle: How Science and Philosophy Can Lead Us to a More Meaningful Life.

The second talk (7:30-9:00pm in Eisenberg 111) will be on Stoicism, which is the topic of the book that Professor Pigliucci is currently working on. Both talks are open to the public.

The art show on Oct. 30 marked the last of our National Arts and Humanities events for the month of October. The show featured nine Slippery Rock University art majors at the Bottlebrush Gallery in Harmony.Students taking part in the show included: Nicolette Wakefield of Pittsburgh; Travis Sallak of Dubois; Jamie Mulac of Indiana; Kayley Thomas of Butler; Kaci Flora of Slippery Rock; Autumn Hyde of Pittsburgh; Josh Ebel of Pittsburgh; and Megan Hulings of Erie.